Banning transgender soldiers and ending the fight against climate change. Trump is changing the US military
In his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised a series of measures to fundamentally change the United States. These promises are confirmed by the large number of executive orders he has signed since returning to the White House—more than 90 in total. Perhaps the most controversial military-related decision came in late January, which states that the gender identity of transgender active-duty service members "is inconsistent with a soldier's commitment to an honest, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, including in personal life, and is detrimental to military readiness."
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth later introduced a policy to disqualify those with gender dysphoria from military service. Gender dysphoria describes a state of distress in a person who experiences a gender identity different from that assigned at birth. The condition is often associated with a higher incidence of depression as well as suicidal ideation. Hegseth’s decision from late February states that "service members or applicants for military service who have a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria or exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards required for military service." Two U.S. LGBTQ organizations challenged this decision in a federal lawsuit, which was upheld by Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., ruling that Trump's order likely violates the constitutional rights of transgender service members.
"The court is aware that this opinion will lead to a heated public debate and a number of appeals. In a healthy democracy, both are positive outcomes. But we should all agree that every person who has accepted the call to serve deserves our gratitude and respect," Judge Reyes wrote in her reasons, according to the AP. The ruling specifically applies to six trans active-duty service members, including an Army Reserve platoon leader from Pennsylvania, a major awarded the Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan as well as a Navy Sailor of the Year award winner and two others who have yet to join the military. Thousands of trans people serve in the U.S. Armed Forces today, but in total they make up less than 1% of all members of the U.S. military.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Defense is launching a plan to scale back its efforts to combat climate change. Like other branches of the federal government, the armed forces began years ago to adapt to a possible future with radically different conditions – not just on the battlefield. But that era is ending for now under the Defense Department's savings proposal.
"The Department of Defense doesn't engage in nonsense about climate change. We're in training and combat," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on his X profile. Specifically, he refers to canceling a number of programs and roughly nine dozen studies. Scientific American reports that these include several analyses that sought to determine whether a warmer planet could lead to greater instability in Africa. According to the Pentagon, ending these programs will save $30 million, and the overall strategy is intended to lead to "a renewed warrior ethos and refocus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars," confirming President Trump's position. "Climate fanatics and other woke chimeras of the left are not part of our core mission," said Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot.
However, some defense experts say the accelerated winding down of such programs could strategically backfire on the current administration. Studying and preparing for climate change, including global warming, is not a liberal luxury, they say, but a necessity. "Climate affects military missions, it affects your ability to do your job. Especially in terms of infrastructure, where you want to be able to endure extreme weather or other weather events to maintain your readiness. And you also want to be able to deal with environmental conditions on the battlefield so you can execute your combat mission," said John Conger, director of the nonprofit The Council on Strategic Risks and former deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration, according to Scientific American.
Climate-related military budget cuts are expected to total more than $377 million. Most would be in the research, development and testing budget. Nearly half of this budget has been earmarked to fund the Army's hybrid vehicle project. Planned as the successor to the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, it was expected to be introduced around 2030. The electric silent drive was intended to improve troop movement in the field and make it more difficult to detect enemy forces using increasingly sophisticated sensors. A $100 million project to develop a prototype lightweight tactical hybrid wheeled vehicle was also set to be halted.
